Korean P-3CK Maritime Patrol Aircraft Crashes; 2 Crew Dead, 2 Missing

A South Korean Navy’s P-3CK maritime patrol aircraft crashed into a mountain near a naval base in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday killing Two of the four crew members while two others are missing.

The  Korean Navy confirmed that the bodies of two of the four crew members were discovered and retrieved. The status of the remaining two crew members remained unknown as firefighters and rescue officials continued to search, Korea Herald reported.

"A P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that took off for training from an air base in Pohang at 1:43 p.m. crashed at a nearby location due to unidentified reasons," the Navy said in a press statement.

“There were no confirmed civilian casualties as of this time and we have retrieved the remains of two of the four crew members aboard the aircraft and continue the search for the remaining two people,” it added.

The Navy has set up an investigative team headed by the vice chief of naval operations to find out the cause of the accident. Meanwhile, all exercises and flight missions involving P-3 aircraft will be suspended until further notice.

The ill-fated aircraft was engaged in a military training exercise. The crash appeared to have caused a fire, with heavy smoke covering the area, according to photos published in the local media.

Of late, the Korean armed forces have been beset with accidents.  In March this year, a UAV crashed into a Surion utility helicopter at an Army base in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province,  The consequent fire destroyed both aircraft, but there were no casualties.

Also on March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets accidentally bombed a village in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during a training exercise, injuring multiple people. The incident was caused by a pilot entering incorrect target coordinates.